10 Stephen King books where the main character is a writer

For some, the old adage “write what you know” is an important part of the writing process, including Stephen Kingwho wrote many novels where the main character is an author like himself. Since 1974, King has written more than 70 novels, novellas, and short story collections. Although he is best known for his horror stories, King also wrote fantasy, science fiction, and even a few romance novels in his time. With such an extensive catalogue, It’s inevitable that King’s stories follow similar themes, and one of those themes is the main character, who is a writer.

Some of King’s most popular novels have protagonists who write for a living. Sometimes these characters’ propensity for writing has very little to do with the story and is just a fact of their lives. On the other hand, some of King’s horror stories are directly related to the main character being a writer. Arguably, These stories are some of King’s best because they come from a place of honesty and authenticity. King often inserted his own life into his books, which leads to interesting stories that feel especially true.

10

The road virus heads north

An author buys a haunted painting

Although it is not a romance, The road virus heads north is a big contender when it comes to King’s author characters. Published in the 1999 anthology, 999The story follows a successful horror writer named Richard, who is returning to his hometown of Derry, Maine, after attending a literary conference in Boston. Along the way, he stops at a garage sale and finds a disturbing painting of a man with filed teeth driving a Pontiac Firebird across the Tobin Bridge. Richard takes the painting, but soon discovers that the work of art is much more powerful than he thought.

The road virus heads north It may not be the most well-known King story, but it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s scary, tragic and intense. While some might wonder how a story about a painting could be scary, King manages to keep readers on edge in just a short amount of time. More, Richard is a horror writer, which makes this story stand out from the rest.

9

This

A group of children are haunted by an evil clown

One of King’s most popular stories that includes a writer’s main character is This. This 1986 book follows a group of children in the 1950s as they are terrorized by a killer clown named Pennywise.who lives in the sewers and returns to Derry, Maine, every 27 years. After escaping with their lives, the “Losers” come together as adults to try to defeat Pennywise once and for all. Notably, their leader, Bill Denbrough, grows up to become a writer.

Bill’s role as writer is irrelevant to the plot and very important. For one thing, Bill’s job doesn’t really affect his search for Pennywise. Arguably, all of the Losers are leaving behind their normal adult lives to finish what they started as children. However, Bill’s profession is also notable for its blatant connection to Pennywise. Bill Probably Became a Horror Writer why of his encounters with Pennywise and Georgie’s death. Thus, Bill is a notable writer character.

8

The Tommyknockers

An alien ship begins to possess a writer

Despite being one of King’s least favorite books he wrote, another novel that falls squarely into the writer’s main character category is The Tommyknockers. This 1987 story takes place in a town called Haven, where a mysterious object in the woods begins to possess the townspeople.turning them into aliens. The book focuses specifically on a writer named Bobbi, who is being possessed, and her poet friend, Gard, who wants to protect Bobbi.

The Tommyknockers has not one, but two writers as main characters. In this case, their professions aren’t very important in the grand scheme of the story. In truth, the events of the book actually drive Gard and Bobbi away from their jobs as they become obsessed with the object in the forest and what it is hiding. In this way, the role of the writer is minimal in The Tommyknockers.

7

Despair

A possessed deputy kidnaps a group of victims

A novel that has similar aspects of The Tommyknockers, alongside a writer character, is the 1996 novel, Desperate. In this story, a group of people are systematically kidnapped by a deputy who is possessed by an evil entity called Tak. Among Tak’s victims is Johnny Marinville, a writer who is on a trip to get new material for his next book. In some ways, Marinville plays a different role than King’s other writing characters.

More than just the protagonist of the novel, Marinville is part of a group of characters. In this way, Marinville Offers a Perspective Your Peers May Not Haveespecially when it comes to taking down Tak. He’s not the center of the novel, but he definitely makes an impact as the cast of characters fight Tak. In fact, Marinville even sacrifices himself. Marinville’s role in Despair can say a lot about what King thinks of the writers as characters.

6

Lisey’s story

A woman mourns her recently deceased husband

One of King’s most recent books with a protagonist writer is Lisey’s story. The 2006 novel follows dual timelines: Lisey’s story as she mourns the death of her famous writer husband, Scott, and the story of Scott’s life, as told by Lisey. Unlike King’s other novels, Lisey’s story is not a horror story, but a psychological suspense novel. Lisey’s loss and reflection on her husband leads her to question certain horrific moments in her and Scott’s lives.

When it comes to Lisey’s story, Scott’s career as a writer is incredibly relevant to the story at hand. Lisey and Scott’s lives were profoundly affected by their work and success. Notably, Scott also symbolizes King himself. King openly stated that he was inspired to write this book after he returned home from a hospital stay and found his wife renovating his writing studio, which made it seem as if he had died and she was tidying everything up. Thus, Scott’s career is fundamental to the story.

5

Salem Lot

A man returns to his vampire hometown

Another popular King novel with a writer main character is Salem Lot. Published in 1975 as King’s second published novel, Salem Lot follows Ben Mears, a man who returns to Jerusalem’s Lot, the city where he spent a few years during his childhood. Mears arrives at Jersalem’s Lot with the intention of writing a bookand quickly forms connections with some locals, but it soon becomes obvious that something evil is lurking in the town.

Once again, Mears’ work as a writer comes into play Salem Lot. The main reason Mears returned to this city was to write his new book at the Marsten House, where he had a traumatic experience as a child. Mears’ interest in the Marsten House is what leads him to discover that something otherworldly is hiding inside the house and is putting the entire city in danger. Different The Tommyknockers, Salem Lot It’s one of his favorite books so far.

4

Bag of Bones

A writer suffers delusions in his lake house

King’s next notable book with a leading author is Bag of Bones. This 1998 novel follows Mike Noonan, a writer who is mourning the sudden loss of his pregnant wife. Suffering from writer’s block, Noonan decides to stay at his lake house in Maine. There, he becomes embroiled in a young mother’s custody battle and begins to uncover secrets about his past and his wife.

As proven by the premise, Bag of Bones depends on the fact that Noonan is experiencing a serious bout of writer’s block. Like many of King’s leading writers, he wants to try writing another novel, but is struggling due to trauma in his life. So, of course, the source of his inspiration is also the thing that puts him in a horrible situation. In this way, Bag of Bones is a solid King story with an author protagonist.

3

The Dark Half

A writer’s pseudonym comes to life

One King story that has become particularly meta is 1989’s The Dark Half. The novel follows Thad Beaumont, an author of unsuccessful literary fiction who also writes under the pen name George Stark. Stark’s violent psychological horror novels sell much better than Beaumont’s novels, but when Beaumont is discovered to be Stark, he decides to drop his alias. Unfortunately, Stark won’t go down so easily and will begin to haunt Beaumont.

The plot of The Dark Half is eerily similar to King’s real life. For a time, King published his own work while writing novels under the name Richard Bachman. Eventually, King’s alias was revealed and he was forced to get rid of his alias. However, through The Dark Half, King explores the psychological effects of killing your own alias. Arguably, The Dark Half is one of King’s most meta-novels of all time.

2

Misery

An author is held captive by a psychotic fan

One of the most obvious examples of a King book with a writer main character is Misery. The 1987 book centers on Paul Sheldon, an author who writes a popular series of Victorian novels following a character named Misery Chastain. Sheldon hopes to leave Misery behind in favor of more serious writingBut his plans are turned upside down when he is involved in a car accident that leads to his kidnapping by an obsessed fan, who demands he write another Misery novel.

What it does Misery What stands out from other novels based on King’s writers is the fact that Sheldon is forced to write the same book the audience is reading. While King’s other protagonists are often sidelined from his writing, Sheldon is tortured at the hands of Annie Wilkes. Readers get an intimate look at the difficulties of writing a novel, while also enjoying an intense and shocking horror story.

1

The Shining

A writer is influenced by evil forces in a hotel

King’s best book with a protagonist writer is the 1977 The Shining. The story follows Jack Torrance, a writer struggling with alcoholism who takes a new job as an off-season janitor at an isolated hotel. Torrance brings his wife and son, but they are soon placed in danger as the evil entities within the hotel begin to influence Torrance’s sanity. Additionally, Torrance’s son possesses psychic abilities that allow him to see the truth.

The Shining is not only one of King’s most beloved books, but also one of the greatest with a leading writer. Torrance is haunted by his past mistakes and his inability to succeed. No matter how hard he tries to be good, he often fails. Ultimately, this makes him vulnerable enough for the hotel spirits to harm him. Torrance is just another example of Stephen King subtly inserting themselves into their own narratives.